Secure Carolina focuses on attaining highest spot going into regular-season finale...
A year ago, there was angst, followed by anger.
This season for the Carolina Hurricanes, there is only anticipation.
The Hurricanes go into their final regular-season game today, against the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center, comforted by the fact they already have clinched a berth in the Stanley Cup playoffs. The only thing in doubt is Carolina's seed for the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Contrast that to last year, when the Canes closed the regular season with so much at stake in that final home game against the Florida Panthers -- the Southeast Division title, a playoff spot, potentially millions of dollars in playoff revenue.
Final score: Florida 4, Hurricanes 3.
Season over.
"Obviously it was extremely disappointing," forward Erik Cole said. "We had been warned as a group not to let it come down to that last day, to try and seal up our business prior to that final week.
"For whatever reason, we couldn't seem to find a way to get the points we needed down the stretch. It was extremely frustrating."
This season, the Hurricanes "sealed up" their business. A 10-1-2 record in March and a strong start to April resulted in Carolina securing a playoff berth a week ago with a 3-2 overtime win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. That lessened the sting of Thursday's 5-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres.
"We're not sneaking in the back door or grabbing it on the last day," coach Paul Maurice said.
Some of the other Eastern Conference playoff hopefuls -- the Montreal Canadiens, the New York Rangers, the Panthers -- had to sweat it out this week. Meanwhile, the Canes are focused on trying to finish fourth in the Eastern Conference standings for home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
Imagine if the Canes, coming off a 5-1 loss, had come down to the final day needing a win at New Jersey, with Martin Brodeur likely in net for the Devils. Talk about pressure.
"It was really disappointing last year knowing we had everything in our hands," forward Sergei Samsonov said. "Losing to Florida, losing out by a point, not making the playoffs, really hurt.
"Looking back, we had quite a few games we let slip away. I think we had a couple of the same games this year where we had a big lead and we wound up losing, but we made sure those kind [of losses] didn't matter at the end.
"This team learned from last season. We didn't want to be in the same situation, and we're not. We've been playing with a lot of confidence, and it's good to see."
When defenseman Anton Babchuk bombed in the winning shot for the Canes last Saturday against the Penguins, Samsonov said it was more a sense of relief, likening it to a "weight off your shoulders."
Cole said he didn't begin to fully recover from the pain of missing the playoffs last year until June. Soon after, he would be traded to the Edmonton Oilers.
"It took until the [playoff] games were over," Cole said. "When the games were still going on, you're watching it, and you're thinking what could have been."
In 2006, the Canes kept playing into June, and a victory in the final game of the final series gave them the Stanley Cup.
Could it happen again? The Canes, who brought Cole back in March with a deal at the trade deadline, would like to think so.
There's the anticipation.
A year ago, there was angst, followed by anger.
This season for the Carolina Hurricanes, there is only anticipation.
The Hurricanes go into their final regular-season game today, against the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center, comforted by the fact they already have clinched a berth in the Stanley Cup playoffs. The only thing in doubt is Carolina's seed for the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Contrast that to last year, when the Canes closed the regular season with so much at stake in that final home game against the Florida Panthers -- the Southeast Division title, a playoff spot, potentially millions of dollars in playoff revenue.
Final score: Florida 4, Hurricanes 3.
Season over.
"Obviously it was extremely disappointing," forward Erik Cole said. "We had been warned as a group not to let it come down to that last day, to try and seal up our business prior to that final week.
"For whatever reason, we couldn't seem to find a way to get the points we needed down the stretch. It was extremely frustrating."
This season, the Hurricanes "sealed up" their business. A 10-1-2 record in March and a strong start to April resulted in Carolina securing a playoff berth a week ago with a 3-2 overtime win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. That lessened the sting of Thursday's 5-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres.
"We're not sneaking in the back door or grabbing it on the last day," coach Paul Maurice said.
Some of the other Eastern Conference playoff hopefuls -- the Montreal Canadiens, the New York Rangers, the Panthers -- had to sweat it out this week. Meanwhile, the Canes are focused on trying to finish fourth in the Eastern Conference standings for home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
Imagine if the Canes, coming off a 5-1 loss, had come down to the final day needing a win at New Jersey, with Martin Brodeur likely in net for the Devils. Talk about pressure.
"It was really disappointing last year knowing we had everything in our hands," forward Sergei Samsonov said. "Losing to Florida, losing out by a point, not making the playoffs, really hurt.
"Looking back, we had quite a few games we let slip away. I think we had a couple of the same games this year where we had a big lead and we wound up losing, but we made sure those kind [of losses] didn't matter at the end.
"This team learned from last season. We didn't want to be in the same situation, and we're not. We've been playing with a lot of confidence, and it's good to see."
When defenseman Anton Babchuk bombed in the winning shot for the Canes last Saturday against the Penguins, Samsonov said it was more a sense of relief, likening it to a "weight off your shoulders."
Cole said he didn't begin to fully recover from the pain of missing the playoffs last year until June. Soon after, he would be traded to the Edmonton Oilers.
"It took until the [playoff] games were over," Cole said. "When the games were still going on, you're watching it, and you're thinking what could have been."
In 2006, the Canes kept playing into June, and a victory in the final game of the final series gave them the Stanley Cup.
Could it happen again? The Canes, who brought Cole back in March with a deal at the trade deadline, would like to think so.
There's the anticipation.
